James Milton Ham
Encyclopedia
James Milton Ham, was a Canadian
university administrator and the tenth President of the University of Toronto
.
Born in Coboconk, Ontario
, Ham attended Runnymede Collegiate Institute
and received a B.A.Sc.
degree from the University of Toronto
in 1943. He then joined the Royal Canadian Navy
as an electrical officer. After the Second World War, he was a lecturer and housemaster in the Ajax division of the University of Toronto. In 1946, he left to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
where he received a M.Sc.
degree in 1947 and a D.Sc.
degree in 1952. He was also a Research Associate from 1949 to 1951.
In 1951, he returned to the University of Toronto as an assistant professor of electrical engineering
, becoming Associate Professor in 1952 and Professor in 1959. He headed department of electrical engineering in 1964, before becoming the Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering in 1966 and the Dean of Graduate Studies in 1976. He served as President of the University of Toronto from 1978 to 1983.
From 1974 to 1976, he was the chairman of the Ontario government's Royal Commission on Health and Safety of Workers in Mines (known as the Ham Commission). The commission's report included more than a hundred recommendations about health and safety in mines.
In 1987, he was a founding fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering
, serving as its vice president from 1988 to 1989 and president from 1990 to 1991. He was the advisor to the president of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
from 1988 to 1990.
In 1980, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
in recognition as a "scientist, engineer and scholar who has had a distinguished academic and administrative career". In 1989, he was awarded the Order of Ontario
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
university administrator and the tenth President of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
Born in Coboconk, Ontario
Coboconk, Ontario
Coboconk is a community in the city of Kawartha Lakes, in the south-central portion of the Canadian province of Ontario. The village lies at the junction of Highway 35 and former Highway 48, on the northern tip of Balsam Lake, the highest point on the Trent–Severn Waterway...
, Ham attended Runnymede Collegiate Institute
Runnymede Collegiate Institute
Runnymede Collegiate Institute is a high school located on Jane Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school first opened in 1927 and is operated by the Toronto District School Board. The school principal is Paul Edwards....
and received a B.A.Sc.
Bachelor of Applied Science
The Bachelor of Applied Science, often abbreviated as BAS, BSAS. BASc or BAppSc is an undergraduate degree awarded for a course of study that generally lasts three to four years in the United Kingdom and Australia, and four to six years in Canada, the Netherlands and the United States.-Usage:In...
degree from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1943. He then joined the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
as an electrical officer. After the Second World War, he was a lecturer and housemaster in the Ajax division of the University of Toronto. In 1946, he left to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
where he received a M.Sc.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in 1947 and a D.Sc.
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
degree in 1952. He was also a Research Associate from 1949 to 1951.
In 1951, he returned to the University of Toronto as an assistant professor of electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, becoming Associate Professor in 1952 and Professor in 1959. He headed department of electrical engineering in 1964, before becoming the Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering in 1966 and the Dean of Graduate Studies in 1976. He served as President of the University of Toronto from 1978 to 1983.
From 1974 to 1976, he was the chairman of the Ontario government's Royal Commission on Health and Safety of Workers in Mines (known as the Ham Commission). The commission's report included more than a hundred recommendations about health and safety in mines.
In 1987, he was a founding fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering
Canadian Academy of Engineering
The Canadian Academy of Engineering is a national academy of distinguished professional engineers in all fields of engineering, who are elected on the basis of "their distinguished service and contribution to society, to the country and to the profession."The Academy was founded in 1987...
, serving as its vice president from 1988 to 1989 and president from 1990 to 1991. He was the advisor to the president of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research enables Canadian researchers to work on international research teams that are custom built to transform their fields of study...
from 1988 to 1990.
In 1980, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in recognition as a "scientist, engineer and scholar who has had a distinguished academic and administrative career". In 1989, he was awarded the Order of Ontario
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
.